1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a system for storing image data from plural different application programs to a digital camera. More particularly, the invention is related to providing a camera driver that allows application programs to access the digital camera in the same way that the application programs access a printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital cameras are becoming increasingly prevalent in business environments, as well as in consumer households. These digital cameras allow a user to take “pictures” that are stored as digital image data in the digital camera. In addition, other data generated by the digital camera, such as sound data, time data and location data, can be stored with the image data. For example, the digital camera can include a microphone so as to allow a user to verbally describe a corresponding picture. Resulting sound data generated by the digital camera can be stored with image data for the picture.
Typically, digital cameras can output the data stored therein to a computer or to a television via the Nation Television Standard Code (hereinafter “NTSC”). In Europe, the PAL or SECAM format is used for outputting data to a television. Outputting data via NTSC, PAL or SECAM is advantageous because no equipment other than a television, and possibly a connection cable, is needed to allow a user to access (i.e., view or present) the data. Thus, the digital camera can be used in conjunction with a television to make a slideshow-like presentation of the image data and the other data stored therein. For example, in a business environment, a user could take the digital camera to a client, and the user would only need a television in order to make a presentation to the client of the data stored in the digital camera.
In the presentation, the user might desire to include data besides image data and other data generated by the digital camera. For example, the user might desire to include spreadsheet data, graph data, computer-generated image data, text data and the like generated by application programs of a computer. Conventionally, in order to transfer this data from the application programs to the digital camera, the user would have to translate each type of data generated by the application programs to the format used by the digital camera.
Such translation would be a monumental task if performed manually, particularly in view of the different images (e.g., raster image and thumbnail image), special data formats, special naming conventions used for each picture, and other special features required by a typical digital camera. Alternatively, a separate translation program could be used to convert each type of data generated by the application programs to the digital camera format. However, using separate translation programs for each type of data would be cumbersome and time consuming.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system for efficiently transferring data from plural different application programs running on a computer to a digital camera attached thereto.